Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has filed a legal complaint in France for online harassment after a storm of criticism and claims about her gender during the Paris Olympics.

Khelif, who was Algeria’s flag bearer in Sunday’s closing ceremony, won gold on Friday in the women’s welterweight division, becoming a hero in her native Algeria and bringing global attention to women’s boxing.

The complaint was filed on Friday (local time) with a special unit in the Paris prosecutor’s office for combating online hate speech, her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, said on Sunday.

The complaint alleges “aggravated cyber harassment” targeting Khelif.

Boudi described it as a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” against the boxer. He said Khelif had decided to “begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour”.

Communiqué de presse : Imane Khelif pic.twitter.com/LEdZTcIdU1

— Nabil Boudi (@BoudiNabil) August 10, 2024

It is now up to prosecutors to decide whether to open an investigation.

As is common in French law, the complaint does not name an alleged perpetrator but leaves it to investigators to determine who could be at fault.

Khelif was thrust into a worldwide row over gender identity and regulation in sports after her first fight, when Italian opponent Angela Carini pulled out just seconds into the match, citing pain from opening punches.

Claims that Khelif was transgender or a man erupted online.

The International Olympic Committee defended her and denounced those peddling misinformation, while Khelif said the spread of misconceptions about her “harms human dignity”.

Earlier, Kirsty Burrows, an official in charge of the IOC’s unit for safeguarding and mental health, filed a complaint with French authorities saying she received death threats and harassment online following a news conference in Paris at which she had defended Khelif.

The Olympics-banned International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from the world championships last year. It claimed both fighters failed unspecified eligibility tests for women’s competition, though it did not release the test results it cited.

Lin won gold in her own boxing category in Paris. She broke down in tears as the Taiwanese anthem played after her medal ceremony.

“I cried because I was so touched,” she said afterwards.

“During the fight I saw images flashing and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing. There were times of great pain and joy.”

Asked if she would consider similar action to Khelif, Lin said it was possible.

“This is something I will discuss with my team. I will decide later what will be the next step,” she said.

Lin said she had “shut herself off” from social media while in Paris.

“Of course I heard some of the information through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much mind to it,” she said.

“I was invited by the IOC to take part in the Games. This is what I focused on.”

The IOC has called the arbitrary sex tests that boxing’s governing body imposed on the two women irretrievably flawed and has defended both boxers since the start of the Paris Games.

-with AAP